Unhinged
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: He wasn't their James anymore. Technically Dark!AU, Canon Divergence.


Note: Very much Canon Divergence. Inspired by a photo on the Shrieking Shack Society group on Facebook!

* * *

"_No one..._no one_...denies me," he said, his whispers low yet powerful. "Something must be done about this. Take care of it."_

_Her lips curled up in a wicked fashion as she dipped her head low. "Yes, my lord," she replied eagerly, "It will be my pleasure." _

* * *

James opened his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His head felt like it was on fire and being stabbed at simultaneously. Bloody hell, it was dreadful. With his free hand, James brushed his hair back and blew out air from his lips.

That's when he realized he didn't know where he was exactly. He didn't recognize the room nor the incoming sound of chatter. A head of red hair came into view, and he instantly recognized her before her mouth could open.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mudblood?" James demanded, scrambling to get his wand. He had to be in her house, and that made him feel the utmost violated.

She paused in her step, taking a sharp breath at his words. Her green eyes widened, but before she could utter a response, someone else came to view.

"Oi! What's your problem, mate?" Sirius asked.

The sneer formed on his face before he could stop it; not that he would have stopped it. "This is your doing, huh blood traitor? Kidnapping people and trying to convert them to your cause? That's pathetic, even for the likes of you."

Sirius made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, confusion was written all over his face.

* * *

"_Wha–?" James looked around with a frown. "What happened? Where am I?" _

_He could hear the sound of heels clicking on the floor. His hand gripped his wand tightly, the hairs sticking up on the back of his neck. The last he remembered was walking through Diagon Alley. _

_Dark curls tickled his cheek, and his body reacted by jumping up swiftly. A hand gripped his chin and kept his gaze on theirs. _

"_I saved you, darling," the teasing, feminine voice said. Her tone was soft yet held intimidation. "You were attacked." _

_The grip on his wand tightened. He didn't recognize the witch at first, but she claimed to have saved him. He did feel horrible as if his body had experienced some kind of physical altercation, so there had to be some truth to her words. _

"_Who," James questioned, "who attacked me?" _

_There was a somber expression on the woman's face, but there was something in her eyes that contradicted the feeling she presented. She licked her lips, her fingertips brushing along his cheek. It was then that it came back to him that the woman in front of him happened to be his crush in Hogwarts, Bellatrix Black._

"_The blood traitor...Sirius Black." _

* * *

She held his face with both hands, a desperate look in her eyes. Tears threatened to spill down the redhead's cheeks as she looked at him.

He flinched from disgust, stepping away from her. "Don't touch me," he hissed.

"You have to remember, James," Lily pressed, the tears finally falling. "Please remember!"

She took a step forward to touch him again, but James wasn't having it. He couldn't take hearing her lies, seeing her act so real when he knew it was rubbish. Bellatrix warned him that he'd be captured and forced with this torture. He had to find a way out of here.

He raised his wand in defence, tilting his head in a mocking manner. "Remember?" he mimicked. "Please remember!" James snorted. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you're not in my memory. Not in a nice way, anyway. Though if you attempt to touch me again, it will be pleasant for me. Not for you."

Lily shook her head, her hands covering her mouth as she cried. He didn't remember her acting so vulnerable in Hogwarts. Must be the dirty blood in her veins.

* * *

"_You're telling me that they messed with my head," James said, pacing in the sitting room, anger radiating from his body. How dare they mess with his head!_

_Bellatrix was leaning against the unlit fireplace, examining her nails. "Pesky little worms, aren't they." _

_James couldn't respond verbally, only grunting and pacing. "Something must be done about this," he declared. "No one messes with James Potter and gets away with it." _

_The dark-haired witch sauntered towards James, her wand tracing down his cheek. The ease she had with a wand without fearing the consequences was attractive. _

"_Don't worry," she replied with a wide grin and a maniacal laugh. "They will be dealt with accordingly. However, you must be prepared. Precision is essential." With such a swiftness, Bellatrix flicked her wrist and shouted an incantation in his direction. _

_Everything went black. _

* * *

James was gone, leaving without a hitch because everyone was too confused and hurt to fight him.

Remus–having arrived luckily after James' departure–held Lily in his arms, rubbing her back in circles as she sobbed in his shoulder. Sirius was pacing, gripping his hair with a growl.

"That wasn't Prongs," Sirius said. "He wouldn't call me that. He wouldn't call _her _that. He just wouldn't!" He sent a spell at the table, blasting it to smithereens.

"Do you honestly think that destroying the furniture is going to solve anything?" Remus questioned.

Sirius stopped pacing, giving Remus a pointed look. "No, but it'll make me feel better for a second."

Remus sighed and continued comforting Lily while Sirius huffed. He threw his hand in the air in exasperation.

"Great, that second's gone," he mumbled, storming out of the room.

Lily gripped the Remus' cloak, looking up in his amber eyes. "What are we going to do, Remus?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "What's happened to James?"

The brunette bit his lip, unable to say anything. "I don't know, Lily, but we will figure it out. We'll get Prongs back." Lily's eyes shifted to her stomach, and Remus pressed a hand there gently. "He'll know who you and your child are, I swear it."

She only buried her face back in his shoulder, allowing Remus to continue rubbing her back. By the sound of things blasting in the distance, Sirius was clearing releasing his frustration the way he wanted.

They had to get their James back.

* * *

Bellatrix sat in the sitting room, waiting for James to arrive. She knew that the memory charm had done a number on him, and it would do even _more _damage to the pathetic crew when they found him in the alley and he didn't know them as he once had.

This had proven to be better torture than pushing someone to their death with _Crucio _after _Crucio_.

* * *

A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

Assignment #2 Counselling Task 2: Write about loss (loss of James and his memory)

Word Count: 1,104


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